Dear Reader,

Greetings. We are living in a world where agreements between men are honoured more in their breach than in their implementation. What is applicable to men is equally applicable to nations. In the case of nations, when they strike a deal, sign a pact, much hype is created to match the gravity of that occasion. But things are forgotten pretty fast and the intensity of commitments evaporates over time. In the case of the United States and India, the numerous economic treaties signed between President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the last one year have become binding thanks mainly to the involvement of private sector agencies. The CEOs Forum set up by the two leaders lost no time in preparing and submitting a report that envisages and recommends a time-bound, result-oriented plan of action. What is heartening is the way both sides are going about, thoroughly business-like in implementing the agenda the two countries have set for themselves. A high-level business delegation led by the President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Saroj Poddar to an interactive conference in Los Angeles found opportunities opening up to Indian companies in the United States. Now it is the turn of US businessmen to respond. A high-powered Business Development Mission, led by US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Franklin L. Lavin is visiting India towards November-end on a match-finding whirlwind tour of six Indian cities looking for opportunities for collaboration. The cover story of the current issue of Indo-US Business is on the follow-up action by both India and the US towards implementing the various agreements between them in letter and spirit. The agreement between the two nations on civilian nuclear energy has been complex right since the day it was signed. We reproduce a statement by Prime Minister Singh defending the treaty in Parliament. The focus of the issue is on Madhya Pradesh, the state which is gearing to host a Global Investors' Summit in January 2007 to tap foreign direct investment for an ambitious development plan it has drawn up to step up industrialization of the state. Travel industry analyst and New Media Consulting Editor Umesh Luthria crystal gazes the prospects of the Indian hospitality industry and predicts that it will have exciting and rocking times ahead. The West Bengal government, keen on developing industrial infrastructure, has signed a 15-year deal with Indonesia's Salim Group. We also present excerpts from an interesting book, titled Global Shift Towards Irreversible Success by Tulsi Tawari, who writes about the business of creating wealth and how prosperity breeds prosperity. We carry the news development reported from various branches of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.

Wish you happy reading

Satya Swaroop
Managing Editor
satya@newmediacomm.biz